If you’re like many adults, you’ve probably imagined what it would be like to be blind, but we tend to take our noses for granted. You might be surprised to learn how much your life could change if you have anosmia. I did not realize until I lost my sense of smell due to Covid how much I would miss it! So I have compiled list of loss of smell home remedies to share!
What is Anosmia?
Anosmia is the medical term for loss of smell. It’s becoming more of an issue now because it’s a common symptom of COVID-19. I lost my sense of taste and smell when I had Covid in November. My sense of taste came back after 24 hours, 3 months later, I am finally taking steps to expedite (hopefully) the return of my sense of smell.
Understanding the Loss of Smell
Anosmia can have many causes, and it’s usually temporary. One study found that 86% of people who have COVID-19 lose some or all of their ability to smell, but this symptom lasts less than 3 weeks for 75% of them. I unfortunately am part of the 25% that has not had a return of my sniffer. These strategies may help you to understand anosmia and bring relief:
1. Identify the causes. Age increases your risk. Almost 25% of men and 11% of
women over 60 experience anosmia, according to the National Institutes of
Health. Other causes can range from allergies to tumors or anything that blocks
your nose or interferes with olfactory signals to your brain.
2. Wait it out. Simple respiratory infections are the most common cause. Your
sense of smell will likely return when your sniffles go away.
3. See your doctor. If your symptoms last for more than 3 days or have no obvious explanation, seek medical care. A correct diagnosis will help you to get appropriate care.
4. Adjust medications. A change of prescription may help too. Let your doctor know if you’re taking antibiotics or drugs for high blood pressure.
5. Keep updated. Ironically, the pandemic has some benefits. Increased research may enhance diagnoses and treatments for anosmia, so patients could have more options soon.
Living with the Loss of Smell
Your physical and mental wellbeing may be affected when you’re unable to enjoy the scent of roses or fresh baked bread. Fortunately, lifestyle changes and medical treatments like these can help:
1. I saw a TikTok video in which a gentleman shared his mother’s Jamaican remedy that worked for him. Take one orange and “char” the skin until black. Peel the orange and mix 1 tbsp brown sugar with warm insides and eat. I did this and it did help, but the affect didn’t last long. 24-48 hours only. And it did take a day or two before I had a little of my smell back.
2. Prevent accidents. What if you’re unable to smell gas or smoke? Check the batteries in your smoke detector and take other precautions around your home.
3. If you smoke, quit smoking. Tobacco can dull your sense of smell and taste. If you’ve tried quitting in the past, try again with a combination of methods, like nicotine replacement products and cognitive behavioral therapy.
4. Clean up. For quick relief from respiratory infections or allergies, rinse the inside of your nose. You can make a saltwater solution at home or buy a product at your local drugstore. I bought a Neti Pot and it worked great, but it has not restored my sense of smell.
5. Manage chronic conditions. Anosmia can be associated with many medical conditions, including diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Following your doctor’s recommendations could reduce more than one symptom.
Additional Remedies
6. Train your nose. Research is limited, but some patients report positive results from using smell training kits. Basically, you inhale scents like clove and lemon a few times a day for at least a month to help regenerate your olfactory nerve. I purchased a smell training kit and I am having SUCCESS with that. I can smell all six of the smells after a couple weeks. But some are still very weak. So I will keep “sniffing” every day until my sniffer gets back to normal!
7. Castor Oil warmed, not hot. And place two drops in each nostril twice a day. Morning and evening. Ricinoleic acid, which is in Castor Oil, helps fight infections. It also helps reduce nasal passage swelling and inflammation caused by colds or allergies. I am using this now, and each day it gets a little better! Not sure if it is the combination of what I am doing. But it is working! Castor oil also has other wonderful remedies and health benefits!
Conclusion
There are many things you can do to enhance the quality of your life if your sense of smell diminishes. Knowing the facts can help you to recover or manage your symptoms. I hope one of these loss of smell home remedies works for you!
Check out my review of Hotworx hot fitness! It is amazing! Or my post on teas that reduce anxiety and help sleep!
Update March 2024
I have only recovered about 80% of my sense of smell. It has turned out to be a long process, I did not realize how much I love being able to smell until I couldn’t!
Products I love!
This is the smell training kit I have been using. So far, it has helped to restore my sense of smell. I have been using it for about 10 days and I can smell each of the different scents on a scale of 1-3 so far. I started out only being able to smell 3 of the 6 scents when I started! Purchase HERE from Amazon!
Here is 100% organic Castor Oil! Purchase it HERE from Amazon!
This is the Neti pot I use when I have allergies or a cold. It helps in clearing out the nasal passage! purchase HERE from Amazon!
More importantly, thank you for spending your time here at Colorado Kelly! I love having you here and appreciate everyone that comes to visit and look forward to having you come back soon!
Love my content and what to help support my growing blog? Please Buy me a Coffee HERE to show the love! Thank you!
**Please note, that this post is based on my personal experience and not medical advice. Should you have an emergency, call 911, or questions on your loss of smell, please contact your physician directly.
***Other resources, WebMD.com
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I can’t imagine life without smell. It’s such an important part of experiences and my mood!
Kelly
Agreed! I am lost without it!!!!
Predrag Kovačević
Thank you for this! My wife lost her smell and taste in March last year for almost a whole month.
Kelly
Glad she got it back!!!
Elizabeth O
Thank you for sharing these remedies. I was able to gain my sense of smell with castor Oil
Kelly
I did not know about the castor oil and ordered it! Good to know!
Brooke
I don’t know what I would do if I lost my sense of smell. Glad that the kit is working for you!
Kelly
Thank you!
Fransic verso
That’s awesome you got the smell back with this method. Thank you for sharing your stories!
Kelly
You’re welcome!
Marysa
This is such an unfortunate side effect of Covid. I can’t imagine going through this, and it is nice to have some remedies to try to treat it.
Kelly
Yes it is!!! I am grateful some of the remedies are working!
Rose Ann Sales
Wow! This is such a really great and very informative article! I woll surely share this to my friends. This is so perfect!
Kelly
Please do! I’m glad it helped!
Anna
I’d be devastated if I lost my sense of smell (and taste, since they’re related). I’ve seen the charred orange trick, but I wasn’t familiar with the others. I’m bookmarking this in case anyone I know has this issue!
Kelly
Thank you! I’m glad it was helpful!
Rosey
I did get Covid and I was so worried about losing my sense of smell. Fortunatelyy, I did not!
Kelly
You are so fortunate!
Danni Torr
Loss of smell can be really hard, especially since most of the time it goes hand in hand with the loss of taste. And not being able to enjoy food can be extremely depressing. Whenever I have a cold I experience this since my stuffy nose keeps me from being able to taste food. I’m happy to read that there are natural remedies to this type of ailment since Western medicine doesn’t seem to have long-term solutions to chronic illnesses such as these.
Kelly
Western medicine doesn’t have solutions for a lot of things! I completely agree!
Ntensibe Edgar
Hhhhmmmm….these are great suggestions you have put together here! I love them. Sniffing on lemon everyday will surely kick back the olifactory nerve into action!
Kelly
I am hoping! Everything is starting to come back, little by little!
Irena
Now I know how it’s called. Anosmia. I got COVID-19 recently and I totally lost my sense of smell. I still can’t smell anything. Thanks for sharing this info! It’s useful.
Kelly
I hope it comes back soon!
Emman Damian
Anosmia is really common now because of the pandemic. Great list of home remedies. I’ll check it all out.
Kelly
It has become very common!
Christiana Acha
Thanks for sharing these tips. It would definitely help a lot of people out here. My brother lost his sense of taste and smell sometime last year due to COVID 19 but thankfully he got it back.
Kelly
So glad for him!!!!
Caroline
Having no sense of smell must be awful. And yes, it’s true people overlook that. Thank you for the tips on how to get it back.
Kelly
It has not been fun!!!!
Ramil Hinolan
Thank you for these home remedies. Now, more than ever, we need this kind of reading material to manage symptoms of COVID 19.
Kelly
I am glad you thought it was helpful!
Maria Khan
you shared a great recipe!
Kelly
Thanks!